USHL: Indiana Icing a Balanced Attack

After 40 games of the USHL's 60-game season, the Indiana Ice had seven players with over 10 goals and 10 players with over 20 points. Now that's balance. Opponents could attempt to focus on Mike Cichy, who had 10 goals and 10 assists in 10 games after being traded to the team from Tri-City in mid-January, but they'd still have to worry about 2010-draft-eligible Stanislav Galiev, first-year draft-eligible forwards Shane Berschbach and Zach Golembiewski, second-year-eligible Max Cook, or even big power forward Ben Albertson, who's trying to prove the third time is the charm. The Ice has also received significant offensive contributions from defensemen Torey Krug, Joe Hartman and sport a goaltender in Brett Bennett that's contending for USHL Goaltender of the Year honors. It all adds up to putting the Ice in a tight battle with Cedar Rapids, Green Bay, and Waterloo for the top spot in the USHL's East Division.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey had the opportunity to see the Indiana Ice prior to Thanksgiving and just before Valentine's Day and files notes on several Ice prospects eager to make an impact this season.

Mike Cichy (2009), C, Indiana

Traded from Tri-City to Indiana, Cichy is lighting up the USHL at a two-point-per-game pace with the Ice .. has gained significant strength over his time in the USHL and his skating reflects it .. has very good cruising speed and is quick to loose pucks .. very slippery with his agility and stickhandling .. uses his lateral mobility to sidestep opponents or adjust positioning to receive passes well .. has a deceptive wristshot and can unleash a very hard slapper .. very dangerous on the powerplay and can snipe .. also has a hard one-timer .. has good offensive vision to create plays and makes crisp, accurate passes .. adept at making crisp, accurate passes at speed to teammates also at speed .. has very quick hands .. wore the "C" in Tri-City .. named to play for Team Reebok (West Division) at the USHL Prospects/All-Star Game and assisted on the team's only goal .. played for Team USA at the World Junior A Challenge and was named the MVP of the tournament with 5 goals and 5 assists in 10 games .. committed to North Dakota .. now surrounded by talented teammates, the most dangerous offensive player in the USHL and doesn't neglect his defensive responsibilities .. almost inconceivable that Cichy goes undrafted in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft with this kind of season .. at Indiana's 40-game mark, he had 10 goals and 10 assists in 10 games for the Ice and 20 goals and 29 assists in 36 games between Indiana and Tri-City.Click the link for a recent interview with Mike Cichy

Joe Hartman (2009), D, Indiana

Big, 6-foot-4, 200-pound blueliner's game may not always be pretty, but he gets the job done .. fairly upright in his skating and could afford more knee bend to maintain power position more often .. also upright backwards at times and backwards stops are awkward .. does have some cruising speed and can employ long, smooth strides, although doesn't always do so .. speed forward is typically only adequate, but shows some bursts form time to time .. footwork needs improvement, but pivots are decent and generate some speed .. could use additional power accelerating backwards .. makes crisp, accurate passes .. adept at clearing his zone with hard wraps off the glass .. plays on both the powerplay and the penalty kill .. a Dan Jancevski-like player who just gets the job done .. played for Team CCM (East Division) at the USHL Prospects/All-Star Game .. worthy of draft consideration, particularly if you think he can put on a lot more size and continue to improve his skating .. committed to Miami-Ohio .. at Indiana's 40-game mark, he had 3 goals and 20 assists in 40 games.Click the link for a recent interview with Joe Hartman

Ben Albertson (2009), LW, Indiana

Big, 6-foot-3, 203-pound winger has shown strong improvement since the Fall Classic .. has good speed and puts it to use on the forecheck with his fairly powerful strides .. also able to stop with power and has decent acceleration .. able to use his size to drive the net while fending off checks and shield the puck .. successful in ending 50/50 battles early after racing for the puck by muscling opponent off .. a difficult presence in front of the net and can put home some pucks .. finishes his checks, but his size has evolved into more of an offensive weapon as the season has gone on.. a regular on the penalty kill but also sees powerplay time .. third year of draft eligibility, but his size and increasing offensive presence make him a possibility in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft .. committed to Vermont .. at Indiana's 40-game mark, he had 12 goals and 11 assists in 39 games.

Zach Golembiewski (2009), LW, Indiana

Two-way awareness is his strong point .. consistently the forward who makes the read to hang back for a pinching defenseman .. finishes his checks .. a regular on the penalty kill, but does see time on the second powerplay unit .. generally makes crisp, accurate passes and makes one or two prime plays a game from around the net or off the half boards .. has a decent wristshot, but not overwhelming .. possesses a good all-around game, but may be a long shot to be selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft .. committed to Michigan State .. at Indiana's 40-game mark, he had 11 goals and 12 assists in 38 games.

Max Cook (2009), C, Indiana

Offensive role slightly reduced with the arrival of Cichy, but also no longer having to face the opponent's best every night .. has good cruising speed with the puck and can beat defensemen wide or buy some time for teammates .. has a little dangle to his game, but it doesn't always end successfully .. plays on the powerplay and sees some time on the penalty kill .. a long shot to be drafted in his second year of eligibility, but pro aspirations certainly are not over if he goes unselected .. committed to Miami-Ohio .. at Indiana's 40-game mark, he had 15 goals and 17 assists in 40 games.

Shane Berschbach (2009), LW, Indiana

Now listed at 5-foot-9, 140 pounds, but this small forward did not make much of an impression in the two viewings that serve as the base of this report .. showed some flashes of quickness and agility, but was largely invisible .. shows some playmaking ability and plays on the powerplay .. willing to engage physically and finishes his checks .. started season on a point-per-game-plus pace, but a couple five-game scoreless streaks during the season have reduced that .. probably an extreme long shot to be taken in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft at this juncture .. played for Team CCM (East Division) at the USHL Prospects/All-Star Game .. committed to Miami-Ohio .. at Indiana's 40-game mark, he had 14 goals and 18 assists in 40 games.

Torey Krug (2009), D, Indiana

5-foot-8, 168-pound defenseman has the skill, just not the size .. sees regular icetime and consistently makes crisp, accurate passes .. can feather passes when necessary .. a regular on the second powerplay unit and has a hard shot from the point .. has good all-compass mobility, including at the point with the puck .. has quick feet and can use his quickness to recover or get to loose pucks .. also able to use his quickness and mobility to angle opponents toward the boards .. good speed backwards and can get very low .. quick lateral movement .. willing to engage physically along the boards for puck battles and fairly adept at overcoming lack of size by positioning himself .. sees time on the penalty kill thanks to quickness, mobility, and battle .. would be an extreme long shot to be selected out of major juniors at his size.. committed to Michigan State .. at Indiana's 40-game mark, he had 7 goals and 17 assists in 40 games and led Indiana in defenseman scoring.

Luke McManus (2009), D, Indiana

Traded to Indiana from Omaha Jan. 12 and looked more at home with the Ice .. 6-foot-1, 192-pound defenseman made a concerted effort to play with some physicality in Indiana viewing .. was side-stepped on a couple attempts to stand up opponents in the neutral zone .. makes crisp passes on the tape .. has a crisp wristshot from the point .. demonstrated good mobility and lateral movement in Indiana viewing .. was ranked by Central Scouting heading into 2008 Draft, and McManus has finally showed me some of what must have impressed them, as he was unimpressive with Omaha .. at Indiana's 40-game mark, he had 4 assists in 8 games with Indiana for a total of 8 assists in 29 games between Indiana and Omaha.

Stanislav Galiev (2010), RW, Indiana

Can't see Galiev not playing major juniors in 2009-10 .. right-winger plays left point on the powerplay and does so very well .. excellent vision from the point and can connect on passes down low for one-timers and other prime chances .. makes crisp, accurate passes and is very adept at one-touch passing .. possesses soft hands for slick stickhandling maneuvers or catching difficult passes .. has a hard shot from the point and a hard one-timer .. has good speed with the puck and on the forecheck .. bends over a lot when skating forward .. noteworthy agility and uses it to circle away to evade checks .. more than willing to use opposing defenseman as a screen and get a shot through or around them .. playing with more of a physical edge and likes to go for hits from the side on the backcheck in the neutral zone .. skilled 17-year-old was Indiana's leading scorer before Cichy arrived .. at this juncture, won't be surprised to see Galiev end up an early second-round pick or higher in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft if he keeps improving and adapting to the North American game .. played for Team CCM (East Division) in the USHL Prospects/All-Star Game .. at Indiana's 40-game mark, he had 18 goals and 25 assists in 40 games.

John Parker (2010), C, Indiana

Not playing in a top-nine role for Indiana this season, but still looks very good with the icetime he receives .. excellent skater who can make tight turns by getting very low and getting way out on his edges .. also uses his agility to weave through traffic with the puck .. speed and acceleration give him good separation with the puck .. seems to know what he's going to do with the puck before he gets it and makes quick, accurate passes .. has sufficient height and may now be 6-foot-0 or just under .. has the combination of skating and skill to make a big impact for the Ice in 2009-10 .. committed to UMass .. at Indiana's 40-game mark, he had 1 goal and 7 assists in 22 games.

Brett Bennett (Phx), G, Indiana

Was given a no-confidence vote at Boston U., but has recovered with a strong season in the USHL .. appears to have his confidence back and is doing a good job to stay square to pucks, take them in the torso, and allow no rebounds .. butterfly goalie who can make smooth pad slides across the crease, although his quickness laterally and in changing directions in pad slides is not elite .. has a good technical game and it's breaking down less often than early in the season .. tended net for Team CCM (East Division) at the USHL Prospects/All-Star Game and stopped all 21 shots he faced .. making a strong push to earn USHL Goaltender of the Year honors .. committed to Wisconsin and has two years of college left .. at Indiana's 40-game mark, he had appeared in 36 games and had a 24-10-2 record, 2 shutouts, a 2.54 goals-against average, and a .913 save percentage.